Kingdom Days - Lewis Ashton
by KingdomDays
Summary: When Princess Emma is forced to leave her kingdom along with her servant, Lewis, she somehow ends up betrothed to the King of a neighboring country. With only 30 days to decide if she would marry him or be banished, Emma has live a normal life. Not knowing the fate of her country or her parents. Luckily, no matter what, she knows she'll always have Lewis.


**A\N: Based on the Lewis path of the Kingdom Days Sim Date game by Pacthesis. I own nothing.**

 **(changed Rose's name to Emma, because I know a Rose in real life and I don't want them mixing in my head.)**

* * *

Ever since I could remember, I was living in this orphanage. The place was quiet and kind of peaceful, but when you spend as much time there as I have, the silence becomes deafening. I watched the other kids get adopted day after day, but no one ever came for me.

One day, after another one of my friends waved goodbye to this lonely place, I went to sit down by the old rusted fence, where I liked to spend most of my time, gazing at what lied beyond it. Suddenly, a ball flew right over it and dropped next to me.

"Um, that's my ball. May I please have it back?" said a boy from the other side. I could tell by his pointy ears he was an elf, with amazingly purple yes. I handed him his ball without saying a word. "Thanks. My name is Lewis. What's yours?" he asked politely.

"I don't have one. They said that my mommy and daddy have to give me one" I responded with a courteous smile. His face seemed sad for a moment, like he didn't know what to say. After a small pause, he smiled a little again and asked if I wanted to play with him. I shook my head negatively. "They told me that I can't leave until my mommy and daddy get here."

"Oh…" He looked at the building behind me, then back at my face. I kept up the smile, because I had been told many times that I have to make a good first impression and always be nice and smile a lot when I meet new people.

Then we heard a voice shouting from behind him. "Lewis? Where are you?"

"I… have to go now" he said, but didn't move a muscle.

My smile faded. I didn't want him to leave.

"Lewis!" the voice called again.

I regained my composure and smiled again. "It was nice talking to you, Lewis. I hope we meet again."

The voice called one more time, and he slowly turned around and followed it. "I'll come back," he said, turning his head toward me one last time, and then ran to the person calling him.

* * *

~O~

A few more days passed by, and my dream of finding a family still went unfulfilled. Then, one morning, when I was sitting alone by the fence again, one of the caretakers approached me. "Someone's here to see you" she said, putting her hand on my shoulder. She led me inside where a man and a woman were waiting nervously.

The woman kneeled down to my eye level and her eyes gazed deeply in to mine. "Do you know who we are?" she asked. I shook my head negatively.

"My name is Sakka, and this is my wife, Lilla," said the man, also kneeling. "We … we are your parents."

"We thought we've lost you forever," the woman added, tearing up. "But now we've come to take you home."

My eyes also started to fill with tears, and I could barely see their faces anymore. I leaped in to their open arms, and for the first time felt the loving embrace of a parent.

After my parents signed a bit of paperwork, we were free to leave. I watched with wide eyes as the iron gates opened up before me, and I stepped outside. A big carriage was waiting for us not too far. The coachman nodded and touched his hat in a gesture of respect. And next to him was sitting the boy with the ball, Lewis.

When he saw me, his face stretched in to a wide smile. He jumped down and opened the carriage door. "Your Highnesses," he said and bowed before us. It turned out my parents, Lilla and Sakka Urwin, were the King and Queen of the Lunar Kingdom, and now suddenly I was a Princess. And, as luck would have it, Lewis was a servant to the royal family, and it was only thanks to him that the king and queen were able to find me. He later became my personal servant, and we grew very close. For a while I did get to live happily, but not ever after. After a few years a terrible war broke out. Many kingdoms picked up their weapons and started attacking one another out of fear, until one day what _I_ feared most happened…

* * *

~O~

I was making my way to my room from the library one day, when I heard groans and clinking swords outside.

Then someone called out to me. "Milady! M-Milady, where are you?!"

I recognized the voice instantly. "I'm over here Lewis!"

"Hurry, we need to get out of here, now! Cesathis's soldiers have entered the castle!" he blurted out, looking around nervously.

"But what about my parents… a-and everybody else?! You can't leave all of them behind!" I retorted.

"Th-they'll be fine! Please…! Milady, we have to go now!" Lewis said in an unusual tone that didn't stand for objections. He grabbed my hand and pulled me to the fireplace, pushing some button on its side. It turned in to a stairwell, which seemed to lead underground.

"Aah! L-let go of me…! No, Lewis!" I shouted, trying to pull away, but his grip was strangely firm around my wrist.

He was usually a lot more gentle with me. In fact, I thought he was a little wimpy. But I've never seen him this serious before. I knew he didn't like dark creepy places, yet he was now leading me down a completely dark tunnel without a trace of fright. I should really give him more credit from now on. After what seemed like hours, the tunnel came to an end. We climbed another set of stairs and he pushed on a wooden lid.

"It's clear. We should hurry," he said and helped me climb out of the hole. I looked around and realized we were now in the woods, near the castle, where my father went hunting sometimes. It was night, and I could see the smoke and fire coming from the castle.

I heard more screams and the continuing sounds of battle. "Lewis, we have to go back!" I said, taking a few steps toward my home.

"No, Milady!" he exclaimed, getting a hold of me again. "There is nothing we can do about it now. If we went back, you'd just end up captured!"

"But what about everyone else!? They'll be captured too, won't they?"

"I'm sure they'll be ok. There are a few other hidden passages throughout the castle. Your parents and some servants also know about them. Just believe in them. They will manage on their own. My job is to protect you, so I cannot allow you to return yet. It is simply too dangerous."

I knew what he was saying was true. I diverted my gaze to the palace in the distance. What could I, one princess, do to help at this point? They weren't after me alone, they wanted the whole royal family. I felt something warm cover my shoulders. I looked at it, and it turned out to be the coat of Lewis's suit. "Here you go, Milady. It's pretty cold out here. We should get moving before they've realized we were missing." He had a point. I sighed deeply and followed him through the dark leafless forest, reluctantly leaving behind all that I loved.

* * *

~O~

We wandered around in the darkness for so long, I lost track of time. The fall isn't the best season to be wandering around in the woods. Me and Lewis were both covered in mud, it was cold and cloudy, and to top it off, the bare branches of the trees looked really creepy.

"Are you alright? We can take a short break if you're tired," said Lewis after a while.

"I'm ok. But where are we going to go now, Lewis? We've been running around like this forever! We don't even know where we are!"

"I'm sorry, Milady. All I wanted to do was protect you, but it looks like I've failed," Lewis said with sad notes in his voice.

"What do you mean, 'failed'!? We're both alive, aren't we?" I said, trying to cheer him up.

"Um.. y-yes, of course. You're right" he said, cracking a small smile. "Huh? Is it just my eyes, or do I see something in the distance?" He stopped, diverting his gaze east.

I also looked in that direction and saw smoke and outlines of houses. "No, I see it too! It looks like a village! Ah! There's a castle there too!"

"A castle! That's it! I'm sure the people there will help us when we tell then you're royalty. Hurry, Milady! Let's go!"

We rushed toward the palace with relieve in our hearts. To tell the truth, I was really tired. I felt like I'd pass out any minute, but I didn't want Lewis to worry about me. He does that too much already.

"Well, here we are. I suppose all I can do now is cross my fingers and give this door a knock," Lewis said when we arrived at the castle gates and knocked. For a minute nothing happened.

Then we heard a grouchy voice from the inside. "Do you have any idea what time it is? If it's not important, come back in the morning!"

"E-excuse me! I apologize for bothering you this late at night, but this is very important!" Lewis yelled through the door.

"Fine then, state your name and business," the voice from inside demanded.

"My name is Lewis Ashton, and I'm here with the Princess of the Lunar Kingdom. Our castle was attacked and we were forced to flee. We've been wandering around for hours and we have no destination or shelter. I would be grateful if you were so kind as to let us stay here."

A long pause set in. Lewis and I exchanged glances, not sure what to do. "U-um, hello? Are you still there?" he asked from our end.

"I'm thinking, don't rush me. If you're so impatient then just come in for now," the voice called.

"Yes, of course! Thank you very much!" Lewis exclaimed. He pushed open the big wooden doors, and we entered a huge entrance hall. There was nobody in sight.

"Where did the person behind the door go?" I asked quietly, but got no answer.

"H-hello?" Lewis tried to say, but his words echoed in the emptiness.

"It looks to me like the whole castle is asleep," I said to him.

"Then who let us in?" my servant questioned. "I think I see a light over there. Come on," he said, leading me to another set of doors at the bottom of the hall. Once we got in, we saw it was the throne room. "Hello? Is anybody in here? We were told to come in, but-" Lewis started to say, but was interrupted by the same grouchy voice from before.

"I'm coming, I'm coming. Can't you wait for one second?" Just then, out of nowhere, a young man about our age walked in. "Just what I need. More useless people asking me for help," he said, sitting on his throne. My eyes narrowed. I really don't like this guy.

"Oh…! Sorry, but I didn't ask you before, but what is your name, sir?" asked Lewis, still trying to be polite to this jerk.

"Joseph Knight. And address me as 'your Majesty' instead of sir from now on." Man, was this guy full of himself. I have to admit though, I didn't expect that. What kind of king answers his own door and prowls his own palace in the middle of the night?

Lewis was caught off guard too. "Y-y-your Majesty?!" he stuttered. "Ah! Wait, I've heard your name before! You're the youngest king in this country! So then this must be the Hepcatsis Kingdom, right?"

"Correct. And if I remember clearly, you said that you two are from the Lunar Kingdom?" the king inquired coldly. "Um, y-yes, your Majesty. The Lunar kingdom was attacked by Cesathis," Lewis answered right away.

"Sakka Urwin is your king, isn't he? Where is he now?" King Joseph asked, and his words made me feel like I'd been punched in the gut.

"I… I don't know" said Lewis with a sad expression. "But I'm sure he escaped safely like his daughter," he added reassuringly, looking my way. The king went silent again. "Um, your Majesty? ..." Lewis started expectantly.

"I've reached my decision" Joseph declared. "Please escort yourselves out of this kingdom and never return. I don't want to see your faces ever again."

"Wh-what!? Y-your Majesty, why? P-please…! We have nowhere else to go!" Lewis pleaded. It was clear to me why. He didn't want to risk his pretty little head.

"I've just decided that I don't like you two. There are no benefits for me, if I let you stay," King Joseph said indifferently. For the short time I've known this guy, I liked him less and less. Now he just added selfish and shallow to his list of traits. I could never imagine my father turning away people, royalty or not, that came pleading for his help. "The only useful thing I could gain from the Lunar kingdom are relations with the royalty anyway. Now please, go away, I'm tired and I don't want to deal with this anymore," the king added and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Lewis exclaimed suddenly. "She'll… marry you." My jaw dropped. Did my best friend really just sell me out to this douchebag!? The king stopped in his tracks. "King Joseph, will you take the princess's hand in marriage?" my friend added.

"L-Lewis! What are you doing!? That's crazy! You're not serious, are-"

"Fine," Joseph cut me off.

"Hold on a second! I never said I would marry you! You can't do this!" I tried to protest.

"I can and I will. If you disagree, then leave," Joseph said, cutting me off again. This guy just made my blood boil!

"Fine! Let's get out of here, Lewis! We'll find another place to stay." I turned to leave, but Lewis blocked my way.

"Milady, I'm sorry. The outside parts of this kingdom are too dangerous," he said in a calm, but insisting voice. "Don't forget Cesathis soldiers will be looking for you. Coming here was already a miracle." I didn't have an answer for that, so I looked away and kept silent.

"The wedding will take place a month from now. Like I said, if you don't want to go through with this, then you and your elf servant must leave," king Joseph said from behind me. I didn't give out any kind of response. I can't condemn myself to a loveless marriage with a guy like that, can I? "Since the Princess seems to be still making up her mind, you two can stay at the empty houses on the west part of the village. We're done now, right? Good night," the king said and just left.

* * *

~O~

Me and Lewis left the castle and found the houses the king mentioned without much of a trouble.

"Wow. This house is actually pretty nice. Wasn't it nice of the king to let us stay in it?" he said when we entered the first one.

It's true the house wasn't bad. It had everything I could need. I even found some money in one of the drawers. I wasn't sure it was ok to take it, but Joseph did say no one lived inside. But the nice house didn't make up for the fact that I had to marry someone like him. How could Lewis just betroth me to him like that!?

"…. Milady, please don't look at me like that. I only did all of that to protect you," he said.

"I can look at you however I want!" I snapped "How is marrying him supposed to protect me!?"

His face saddened again. "You have every right to be angry," he said with a sigh. "Forgive me. I didn't know what else I could have said to convince him into letting us stay here. He did say the only thing he could gain were relations with the royals… It's getting late and you've been through a lot today. I think it's about time for us to get some rest. I'll be in the house next door so don't worry. Sweet dreams, Milady," he said and exited, leaving me alone.

I had so many emotions twirling inside me. Regret for leaving my family, fear of what's going to happen, defiance for being offered to Joseph like some item on an auction, anger at Lewis for doing that, helplessness to change anything and not to mention fatigue. I was so worn out, the minute I sat down on the bed I fell backwards and fell asleep with my dirty clothes still on.

I was awoken the next morning by a loud knock. "Come in!" I said, realizing I'm still wearing my clothes from yesterday, and that I've left some dirt stains on the bed sheets.

"Good morning, Milady. Did you sleep well?" asked Lewis, stepping inside.

I noticed he has already changed in clean attire. "Huh? Your outfit… you already got new clothes?" I asked, surprised.

"Yes!" he replied with a smile. "I ran into some very good people this morning. I was even able to get you a new dress!" he added showing me a pink dress.

I took it in my hands and checked it out. "Ew. Lewis, I don't mean to be ungrateful, but… it's pink. And why did you get me a dress? I'm not living in a castle anymore. Can't I just wear pants or something?"

"P-pink?! This isn't pink! It's fuchsia!" he objected. "And of course you can't wear pants! You're still a princess! You must dress appropriately!"

I sighed. "Fine. But aren't pink and fuchsia pretty much the same thing?"

"It doesn't matter, Milady. I think that this color will look nice on you. Now hurry up and get dressed! We should go back to the castle to pay King Joseph a visit."

"What!? No way! Why would I ever want to see that jerk again?" I exclaimed discontentedly.

"You're going to marry him, aren't you?" said Lewis. "You should at least try to get to know him a little better. Maybe he was just in a bad mood yesterday. Just give him a chance."

"Bad mood, yeah right," I mumbled to myself. In how bad of a mood do you have to be to refuse someone your help, if you're usually a decent guy?! But what choice do I have? "Okay, okay! Just get out of here so I can change already!"

"That's the spirit, Milady! I'll go on ahead, actually. We'll meet up at the castle, okay?" he said cheerfully and walked out.

I sighed again, irritated of how happy he was about this. I changed into the pink dress and stepped outside. The palace wasn't far, but I had to go by a part of the village. When I first saw this place, I thought every town would look a bit gloomy at night, but now it seems just as depressing. Maybe it was from the weather, but I just felt unwelcome here. The woods we arrived from were the same way they were at night – scary. I passed by an old windmill that looked abandoned. I stopped and looked at it. It felt as if I was being watched. I sensed chills running down my spine and quickly continued my path. I also passed an old blacksmith's that looked dusty, but the guy inside seemed to be doing normal things, even if he was surrounded by cobwebs. Maybe he just wasn't good at cleaning?

I arrived at the palace and walked right in. Lewis was waiting for me in the throne room. I noticed his face was worried. "Hey, Lewis. Is something wrong?" I asked, approaching him.

"Ah, Milady! It's King Joseph… he… he's gone!" he exclaimed.

"Gone? So... is he... dead?" I said, maybe a little hopefully.

"Noooo! Don't tell me that you were secretly hoping for that to happen!" Lewis exclaimed. Well, to be honest, no. Even if he was a douche, I wouldn't wish for anyone's death. Although, that _would_ solve all my problems, but I didn't say it to Lewis. "Here, I found this on his throne…" he said, handing me a piece of paper. It said:

 ** _'I went to take care of some business. I'll be back before the wedding._**

 ** _Joseph Knight'_**

I looked back at Lewis and saw he was still worried. "So what?" I said. "He'll be back. It's not like he's gone forever." _Unfortunately,_ I added to myself.

"B-but... now you can't get to know him!" said Lewis and sighed. "I guess now the only thing we can do is wait for him to come back."

"Whatever" I said, again irritated by his behavior. "I've had enough of this. I'm going for a walk," I stated and walked out.

"A-ah! Please be careful, Milady!" Lewis called after me, but I just continued walking.

* * *

~oOo~

I walked around in the village, trying to get to know the layout of things. When I was passing by the well, I saw a group of kids, throwing acorns at an old man. The man tripped and dropped the bag he was carrying, making apples scatter everywhere. The kids tried to swipe some of them as the man was trying to get up.

"Hey!" I shouted, grabbing one of the kids by the wrist. "Don't you know you should respect your elders?" The kid dropped the apple he was holding and he and his buddies ran away. "Are you alright?" I asked, gathering the rest of the fruit.

"Thank you," the old man said gratefully. "They're mad I didn't return their ball yesterday. Oh well, kids will be kids."

"Do you live very far?" I asked, eyeing the man's cane.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that. I was headed to see my grand-niece. She works at the Bazaar."

"Let me carry this for you there then," I proposed, and he nodded.

On the way he told me the kids that ambushed him kicked their ball in his blackberry bushes yesterday and it punctured. He took it inside, but didn't have the things necessary to repair it, so he kept it until he could fix it. The kids mistook that for an act of war. "They're just youngsters. At their age, I would've done much worse than throwing acorns," the old man said with a laugh.

It wasn't long before we reached the store he mentioned. "Hello, Anna!" the old man said, greeting the girl behind the stand.

"Hi Grandpa Al!" she exclaimed cheerfully and rushed over to hug him.

He proceeded to tell her about the acorn shoot out, while I checked out the store. It was a small, but bright place with a friendly atmosphere (something I haven't felt in this village yet). I noticed a sign with 'Help Needed' written on it leaning on the window. Now that Joseph was gone, my financial support was zero. Maybe I should ask for this job.

"Oh, really? Then this girl is a regular hero!" Anna said, drawing my attention back to them.

"I just helped an old man from a couple of children. I'm hardly Superman," I noted and went over to the sign. I've never worked a day in my life (if you don't count the chores back in the orphanage). How hard could it be to sell things, though? "Hey, Anna, wasn't it? About this help sign… can I apply for it?"

"Oh… I'm sorry, I was just about to take that down. My dad gave away the spot this morning," Anna said apologetically.

"So hire them both!" old man Al shouted.

"Ho-ho, headstrong as always, I see. Age hasn't brought you down one bit, has it Uncle Al?" came a gruff voice from behind. I turned around and saw its owner was a tall muscular guy with a short beard.

"Don't play smart with me, sonny! In my day, I never turned away a potential employee! Why, I even had eight apprentices at once at one point! And let me tell you, every single one of them is a fine master cobbler now themselves!"

"You don't have to tell me. How many work with you right now? Four?" the man said with a smirk.

"Six, if you must know! And I would give my left leg to have such a kind girl working for me!" Old man Al said enthusiastically, waving his cane around as he talked.

"Come on, Dad. She did help Grandpa Al, and I'm working here for free anyway," Anna joined.

"And what am I supposed to tell the boy I hired this morning? That he's not 'kind' enough?"

"Didn't you hear what I just said!?" Old man Al said, hitting the man with his cane. "Hire them both!"

The man swept me with his eyes inquisitively. "Why do you want the job, girl?" he asked.

"Because… I don't have money and if I don't find a way to make them, I'll starve," I replied.

"What about your parents?"

"They're… not around."

"And you live all by yourself!?" Anna gasped.

"No, not really. There is someone with me, and he'll probably try to work for both of us. Knowing him, he might even get two or more jobs, just to make sure I don't miss anything. I don't want him to overwork himself nor do all the work while I just wonder around town. So please! Let me work here!" I said and stared the man demandingly.

He stared back for a couple of seconds, then nodded. "Alright. Since we owe you, I'll let you work here. You start immediately. Anna will show you around, I have something I need to take care of. Come on, old man, I'm passing by your workshop anyway."

The two men left the store, and Anna started explaining to me the paying system and where everything stood.

"Excuse me, I'm back from the bakery. Where should I put these?" came a familiar voice, as the store's bell rang and Lewis showed up from the front door, carrying a big basket full of this morning's fresh bread.

"I'll take care of it," Anna replied with a smile and went to take the basket from his hands. "Lewis, meet Emma. She's your new coworker, Dad just hired her."

"Milady? What are you doing here?" he asked, surprised, as soon as he spotted me.

"Lewis? You're the guy they hired earlier today?" I said, quite surprised myself.

"Huh? Do you two know each other?" Anna inquired, confused.

"Uh… yes, he's a servant of my family," I said quickly, before he could blurt out I'm royalty. "Lewis, can we talk for a moment? In private?" I said, pulling him through the back door, where Anna said was the storage. The place was spacious and full of boxes filled with different items.

"Milady, you don't need to do this. I can work for both of us. Your kingdom may be under attack, but you're still a princess!" started Lewis.

"Shhhh! Keep it down! I don't want anyone to know about that. But since I _am_ a princess, last time I checked, I was the one giving the orders. If I want to work, then I will! And I forbid you from having more than one job. That's an order too!" I warned.

"But Milady…"

"No buts! You're the servant, so do as I say!" I don't like using my authority over him like that, but it's for his own good. "Now, if anyone asks, I'm just from a rich family, got it? Don't tell anyone I'm with blue blood. Promise!" I insisted.

"Why do you want to hide your origins, Milady? Aren't you proud of who you are?" he said quietly, but to me it felt like he shouted it in my face.

"It's not that, Lewis. I love my parents, and I'm very proud to be an Urwin. It's just… I don't want the people here to look at me like a princess. I want them to see me as just a normal girl and treat me like one too."

"But, you do realize that once you marry the King…"

"Yes, I know. But just for now, can't I have a few weeks of people treating me like one of them? Just for a little while?" I asked pleadingly, staring right in to his purple eyes.

"As you wish," he said after a few moments of silence and exited the storage.

Luckily, Anna and her dad didn't ask me many questions about my origin, but I knew Lewis didn't like the fact that I hid it. He smiled all day and acted as if nothing happened, but I could tell he was disappointed. In the early afternoon we got a one hour brake and he went outside, claiming he wants to get some air.

"Hey, Emma, thanks for the hard work today!" Anna said, while I was leaving my place behind the stand. "Here, do you want some? I really shouldn't snack on work hours, so you can have them," she added, handing me a small bag with a few pieces of candy inside.

"Ah! Thank you," I accepted.

"No problem," she replied with a smile and greeted the woman that just walked in.

I decided I'd go outside and not get in the way. I hadn't even taken a good look around when I spotted Lewis leaning on the store wall. "Hey. What are you doing?" I asked, walking over.

"Oh! Hello, Milady. I was just wondering where King Joseph went. It's strange for a king to leave his kingdom so suddenly like that," he said, looking over at the castle towers.

"See? He's irresponsible and careless. I shouldn't marry him!" I said, crossing my arms.

"Please don't be so quick to judge him, Milady. Maybe he left to take care of some very important business."

"Yeah, right. Or maybe he's just avoiding me…"

"Nonsense. Why would he do that? He did agree to marry you. Anyways, you're a very charming person, Milady. I'm sure that he'll come to realize that once he gets to know you better."

"You're just saying that because we're friends."

"No, not at all! I really do mean it!" he said insistently, which made me chuckle.

"Okay, okay. Here, have some." I said offering him the candy.

"A-ah… how did you know I like sweet things?" he said, taking a piece.

"Well I've known you for a long time, Lewis. You've always had a sweet tooth."

"I know. It's a bit childish, isn't it?"

"I don't think so."

"Th-thank you, Milady. You're too kind."

"Hey, Lewis, about that… can you stop calling me Milady?" I asked.

He seemed to be taken aback by this demand. "What? But you've never had a problem with me calling you that before. It's only appropriate for me to address you that way, isn't it?"

"Well yes, in the castle. But here, Anna for example, doesn't know I'm a princess, so it just makes people wonder…"

His face became serious again and he nodded. "As you wish."

"Look, I'm not ashamed of my origins or anything, got it? I just don't want people to be so formal with me all the time, that's all."

"But every girl in the Lunar Kingdom would've given anything to be in your place. Don't girls dream of being princesses?"

"They do, but that's all it really is – a dream. My dream was to find my parents, and now that I have, I do love them more than anything, but I would've loved them even if they were poor. It's fun being royalty and all, but after some time you see it's not all pretty dresses and ponies. Aside from you, I can never be sure who I can trust and who's just buttering me up like a French toast. I just want people to treat me as if I were a normal person and not someone they can benefit from if they're nice. Even if it's for a short while."

Judging by his expression, my servant finally began to grasp why I was doing this. He turned his gaze to the market where many people were passing by. "The Hepcatsis Kingdom doesn't really have a healthy environment, but the villagers are quite friendly. I suppose I prefer nicer people over scenery." he said with smile. Just across from us some man was making a big fuss on a fish stand about some old fish he apparently bought this morning.

"I actually think that some of the people here are kind of bitter," I said over the man's yells, remembering the kids with the acorns.

"Life is a bit tougher around these parts. I'm sure that some of them just act cold because they're cranky. That's what I think about King Joseph anyway," Lewis replied.

I looked over to the castle. "He's the King. How tough can his life be?"

When my attention returned to Lewis, he was looking at me kind of sad. "You're not still mad about me getting you into your engagement, are you?"

I looked at the ground. "I don't even really care anymore. I just wish you would've considered my feeling more…"

For a moment, he didn't say anything. "I… wish I would've done that too, Milady. I'm sorry. I was only focused on protection rather than your happiness. Oh! I just called you Milady again! I'll try better next time…"

"You don't have to," I interrupted, putting my hand on his shoulder. "I'm fine with it, forget what I said.

"But what about…"

"I said forget it. I doesn't really matter that much anyway."

I've known all along that all he was thinking about was protecting me. He always worries about me and tries his best to make sure I'm satisfied. But hearing him say it so bluntly like that… I don't know why, but it made me feel… strange.

Just then Anna's face showed at the door. "Hey, Lewis, I know you're on your brake, but could you help this woman? She lives close by, but can't even lift her purchases."

"Ah! O-of course!" Lewis responded immediately and went inside.


End file.
